CONTAGIOUS DISEASE Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

contagious disease

noun

as in infection

sickness that can be passed from one person, plant, or animal to another Parents are advised to vaccinate their children against contagious diseases.

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of contagious disease For the most contagious diseases, even a small dip in vaccination can trigger population-wide problems. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 24 Aug. 2026 The Allegheny County Health Department says measles is a highly contagious disease — up to 90% of people exposed to measles who are not immune will become infected. — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 That’s because measles, among the most contagious diseases in history, is almost always the first vaccine-preventable disease to strike when immunization rates fall. — Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 18 Aug. 2026 Or consider the Miasma theory, which dates all the way back to Ancient Greece and was a popular contagious disease model throughout the Middle Ages. — T.m. Brown, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contagious disease

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contagious disease

Noun

If they get infected with another type of dengue, the antibodies from the first infection may fail to neutralize the second type — and actually can help the virus enter immune cells and replicate.

— Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
The leading hypothesis is that the whale calves are suffering infections from marine bacteria that can enter their bodies through injuries inflicted by kelp gulls, Uhart said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of infection

Noun

Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia are difficult to study, in part because diagnosing the disease early in people is challenging.

— Julie Moreno, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
Younger demographics are being diagnosed with increasing cases of colon cancer, and people of color face disproportionately higher mortality rates from the disease.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of disease

Noun

Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
If they get infected with another type of dengue, the antibodies from the first infection may fail to neutralize the second type — and actually can help the virus enter immune cells and replicate.

— Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of virus

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contagious

contagious disease

contagious diseases

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“Contagious disease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contagious%20disease. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of contagious disease

noun

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